Google’s Drive and Dropbox are two of the most popular options for cloud storage and backup. Which makes sense, as the two platforms compete intensely. Which is good for you? It’s a complex question, and it depends on several factors: your budget, your total backup needs, and the platforms you want to use them on.
Unsurprisingly, Google Drive works best if you’re heavily invested in Google’s other systems: Android, Chrome OS, and the Google Workspace suite of web apps. It’s also a better value overall. Dropbox is a better choice if you’re more concerned with speed and performance and are willing to pay for it.
Note: You might also be interested in our comparison between Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive.
Pricing
At the consumer level, both companies offer at least a roughly comparable plan for cloud storage. Here’s a quick breakdown of the different plans and prices:
| Storage level | Google Drive/Google One | drop box |
| 2 GB | – | Free (bonuses available) |
| 15 GB | To free | – |
| 100 GB | $2 per month | – |
| 200 GB | $3 per month | – |
| 2TB | $10 per month | $12 per month (single user), $20 per month for 6 users |
| 3TB | – | $20 per month (single user) |
| 5TB | $25 per month | $45 per month/3 users minimum, $15 for each additional user |
| 10 TB | $50 per month | – |
| 20 TB | $100 per month | – |
| 30 TB | $150 per month | – |
| Unlimited | – | $75 per month/3 users minimum, $25 for each additional user |
As you can see, Google Drive (also known as Google One) offers both more free upfront storage and more and cheaper options at different storage tiers. Dropbox users can increase their free storage by asking their friends to sign up with referral codes, up to 16GB. But making users basically do your marketing for you to get what’s free elsewhere is not a great value proposition.
Both companies offer discounts for paying annually instead of monthly. But in terms of value for money, Dropbox only really makes sense for individual users who want up to two terabytes of storage, or for teams of users who need an absolutely massive amount: more than the maximum 30 TB of Google Drive.
Additionally, while Google allows free users to access Drive from anywhere and on unlimited devices, Dropbox charges users more than three devices for easy access through dedicated apps. You can get around this limit by using the Dropbox browser tool, but that’s a pretty huge hurdle for free users.
The integration
Google also wins on integration with different platforms. Google Drive is built into most Android phones and tablets, all Chrome OS powered devices, and it’s the default way to save files to Google Docs and other Google Workspace tools. On top of that, Google Drive/One apps are available on iOS and Windows, allowing for easy uploads and downloads.
Dropbox is also widely available, but its integration is less seamless on mobile and Chrome OS. While it’s possible to upload and download to Dropbox on almost any platform (through the browser if not a dedicated app), it may take a few extra steps. The three-device limit on a free Dropbox account is also a big limiter.
Google Drive and Dropbox integrate with a variety of other often-used services, such as Microsoft Office, Slack, Adobe Creative Cloud, Zoom, and more. Dropbox even lets you sign in with a Google or Apple account, if you want.
Usability
While Google is a clear winner in terms of value and has made it easier to access your files across multiple platforms, Dropbox still has the advantage in terms of usability, in my opinion. Google Drive tends to treat its storage like one big pool of data, and while it supports the basic directory system of folders that most PC users are used to, the platform would rather you use its built-in search tools.
Michael Crider/IDG
Dropbox, on the other hand, assumes you generally know where you put your stuff and makes it easy to navigate through folders and subfolders, whether on an app or in a desktop directory. It’s not effortlessly intuitive, but it’s familiar to anyone who uses desktops and laptops for most of their adult lives. It’s a PC-first approach, rather than Drive’s (perhaps understandably) mobile-style interface.
Performance
While Google Drive is by no means slow, Dropbox also gets a performance edge. When I was trying to download massive amounts of large and small data, Dropbox gave me consistently faster download speeds. This is a notable consideration if you plan to use your storage hard and frequently.
Michael Crider/IDG
Dropbox also has a feature that speeds up sending files over your local network: LAN sync. This tool allows files added to your Dropbox account to start being copied over local Ethernet or Wi-Fi connections even before they’re fully uploaded to the cloud. Basically, this causes a file added to your phone (for example, a new photo you took of your pet) to appear in the Dropbox folder on your Windows or macOS computer, as long as both devices are connected to the local network.
It’s a small but crucial benefit if what you’re really looking for is a quick and easy-to-access sync storage bucket.
Storage sharing and PC backup
As you’d expect, Google comes out on top when it comes to sharing storage between family members. While Google One plans can be shared with up to five additional family members (for a total of six users) on the cheapest $2 per month tier, Dropbox only unlocks this option once you start paying $20 per month for 2TB of storage.
Individual files can be shared easily across both platforms, and there’s not much difference between Google Drive and Dropbox if you’re sharing accounts. But unless you need a really massive amount of Dropbox storage, Google Drive is better value-wise if you want to share that storage between two or more users.
Michael Crider/IDG
Both systems offer tools for backing up your PC’s files to the system-wide cloud… sort of. While it’s certainly possible to treat Google Drive or Dropbox as a cloud backup system, these platforms really aren’t designed for regular emergency backup. Their slow download speeds and cumbersome backup tools put them far behind dedicated services like Carbonite or Backblaze. I wouldn’t give either extra points of this feature. (For more on this topic, check out our roundup of the best cloud backup services.)
In addition to the above tools, both systems have less tangible benefits. Purchasing additional Google Drive storage through the Google One system gives you:
- Shared space for Gmail and Google Photos messages/attachments
- Free access to Google One VPN on Android
- Discounts on purchases in the Google Store
- Occasional deals on travel and other items
And Dropbox? Once again, Dropbox is more stingy with its tools, unlocking some of its more premium options under more expensive personal or business accounts. Even full-text search, a fairly basic tool you can perform on local files yourself in just about any operating system, isn’t available on the free tier. Once again, Dropbox’s more stingy nature hurts it in this comparison.
Google Drive is the big winner
While Dropbox has a superior user interface and experience (at least for people who prefer conventional PC-like file systems), and its performance and LAN sync tools may leave the competition in the dust, Google offers a better product and better value on almost every other point of comparison.
From the price of premium storage, to integration with desktop and mobile operating systems, to less tangible bonuses as part of the Google One system, Drive is a clear winner. This is doubly true if you’re looking to stick with free tools.
Which isn’t to say that Dropbox is necessarily a bad choice. That extra performance and better interface might be worth it, especially for users who don’t necessarily need the huge amount of storage that Google offers. Just be aware of the trade-off in value.
Michael is a former graphic designer who has been building and modifying desktop computers for longer than he cares to admit. His interests include folk music, football, science fiction and salsa verde, in no particular order.
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